\paperw4260 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 The \i Book of the Dead\i0 can be considered the oldest illustrated book in the world.\par
It was a papyrus scroll that was placed i
n the sarcophagus or inserted between the bandages of mummies. It contained a sort of ômapö of the next world, with a series of formulas that the deceased had to recite in order to be reborn.\par
The text is divided into columns and illustrated by color
ed drawings.\par
This papyrus containing the \i Book of the Dead\i0 was placed in the tomb of the scribe Nebked. The pictures illustrate the progress of the funeral procession toward the necropolis: on the left we see the mourners, with their arms rais
ed to express their sorrow. They are followed by the casket containing the dead manÆs viscera, watched over by the dog-headed Anubis. In the middle, the sarcophagus is set on a boat drawn by oxen, symbolizing the boat in which the sun god crosses the oce
an of the heavens. Finally the procession arrives at the tomb, where the offerings for the dead man are deposited.\par
The mummy is set upright in front of the door. A priest with a curved scepter is celebrating the ritual of the opening of the mouth, w
hich was supposed to permit the vital spirit to reenter the body of the dead man.
